It Goes On
by Pessimistic Guardian Angel
Summary: Alex's life has many unexpected twists and turns. His life is practically unpredictable; you don't know what threat is lurking behind the corner. Read as I tackle my plot bunnies and wrestle them into one-shots of various lengths, topics, and scenes. When your life is as complicated as Alex's, you don't know what will happen... One-shots, ideas always welcome!
1. Et tu, Brute?

**A/N Hello there! I... Okay, fine. I came back from my trip earlier than I had thought I would. I arrived in the late afternoon, more than enough time for me to write this angsty fic that had been roaming my mind for weeks now. Whatever...**

**I also never anticipated for this one-shot to end the way it ended. I was only thinking that Jack would hand him over to Scorp. Co. and so on. **

_**Notice: I used a reference from my drabble fic, Of All Things. Tom betrays Alex for Scorpia in this one, too, okay? It's kind of like a continuation of the drabble.**_

**Disclaimer: Do you expect me to write a... what you humans call... a _disclaimer_ to say I don't own the characters? A shame... Fine *pouts*. I don't own 'em. Never will. Why are you so mean? **

* * *

It was a sunny, not-humid day—a pretty rare occurrence in the wet British lands—when Alex arrived from school without being called down to the Royal and General. He hadn't caused any trouble that day, and the day was normal—as normal as Alex's school days could be, now—which included jeers, rude comments, insensitive words, various "Hey there Druggie, how was your gang trip?" questions, and weird looks from almost everyone in the school.

Tom had stopped coming to Brooklands Comprehensive after he gave away his cover by giving Scorpia Alex's current positions—whether it was Brooklands, his home, the Bank, or at Tom's house—and telling Alex about it to taunt him at the end. _He probably doesn't exist on the face of the Earth anymore because of that stunt,_ Alex thought sadly.

Even though his best friend's betrayal had hit him hard, he still had some affection—in a friend-way—left for the backstabber, cherishing the memories that they shared, despite the fact that the comforted, thankful feeling was not on Tom's side; Alex would bet all his money on the fact that Tom's feelings from when he betrayed Alex was simply nothing, nothing at all. Not a speck of guilt, not even a minute piece of sadness.

Alex opened the front door to his grand house that he, his uncle, and Jack had been living in. Now it was just Jack and him. The house would have seemed empty and like a plain house, not a home, but with Jack there, it was his one and only place he could truly call _home._

"Jack, I'm home!" he called.

"Hey Alex! Back so soon? How was school?"

"It was… Okay, I guess. Thanks. How was your day?"

"It was _great!_ I saw this episode on TV, and—" she babbled on and on. They both knew that neither Alex _nor_ Jack didn't listen to what she said. It was just an icebreaker to ease the tension, a habit they had had since Alex was twelve.

Jack told Alex to get ready, sounding like an excited puppy ready to go outside for a walk or something.

"Why… What… Jack? Where are we going?" asked Alex, genuinely puzzled.

"Somewhere special. You'll see. I'm sure you'll like it."

* * *

"So… E-everything… Was f-fake? Even the feelings?" Alex could feel the familiar prickle of unshed tears behind his brown orbs. He knew what the prickle was, yes, but he hadn't cried for a long time now.

"Of course, you idiot. Why would anyone like _you?_ Everyone left you. Your, ahem, _friends_, Tom—he was on my side. A nice spy, although we had to shorten his life, send him to wherever you go after death—your family, and now, _me!_ I don't really count, though, because I never really cared for someone like _you_." Jack sneered as she spit those harsh words out.

The insensitive words pierced Alex's heart like an arrow to the heart, and he could feel his eyes brimming with the betrayed tears.

"I… You were with them the whole time?" he asked shakily.

"_Yes,"_ Jack scoffed like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Which, thinking back, it was. _I shouldn't have been that naïve, _Alex scolded himself. Who knew what Jack could have done while he was away on missions?

"With Scorpia?" he asked, just to make sure.

"Oh my fucking God_, yes!_"

"You're going to turn me in to Scorpia now, then?"

"_Duh."_

The sharp sting of betrayal tore at Alex's hardened heart. Paired with the pang of sadness, his feelings were on overdrive, and he shed the tears, clear despite how clouded his feelings were. A strangled sob escaped his throat as he realized that everything he had thought he could rely on after his uncle died—mainly, Tom and Jack—had turned out to be fake, false, a simple act that he had thought was real.

He had known that slipping deftly through death's fingers would have a price, but wasn't this too cruel? Was someone he could trust too much to ask for?

_Yes, _he decided. _But it's my fault, because I should have known better than to trust just like that. _

_My fault_, _my fault, my fault._ The words echoed in his head, numbing his senses. He drew out a pocket knife that he had kept hidden in the lining of his shirt, and had never told Jack about. She was still talking about the things he did not want to hear—betrayal, trust, gullibility, a smirk plastered on her slim face that was rimmed by her fiery red hair. Her vibrant green eyes shone with cruelty, something he had never noticed before.

He drew the knife up, up, up. To him it was a long moment, but in reality, the movement was almost matching the speed of light. Jack's eyes widened, and her bright green orbs locked with Alex's broken brown ones. For a second that seemed to last forever, Jack's eyes held a genuine compassion, sympathy that told Alex that she hadn't completely hated him. She had still loved him, in a backstabbing way. He knew that deep down, through the thick layers of greed and selfishness, there was still the Jack that he thought he knew. But he also knew that it wasn't going to come out. The best thing that Jack could do for him was to let him be.

_The blood._

_Dripping down his neck. His chest. His arms. Pooling at his feet. _

Alex was reminded of a poem that he had read before, when he hadn't been dragged into a world he wanted to be no part of...

* * *

_If I slit my throat, what would you do?  
Just stand there and watch me subdue.  
Watch me bleed, watch me die,  
Everyone else will just hide._

_Watch me as my blood curls round your toes,  
As the wind howls and blows.  
Watch me as I stain the grass crimson red,  
I can tell I am messing with your head._

_My eyelids close, my eyes want to hide,  
Who knew my organs had already died?  
Stop the bleeding, stop the pain,  
All my screams have been sustained._

_As I drift away to the promised land,  
A blood stained white rose, falls from my hand._


	2. Birth, Like Death, Is a Secret of Nature

**A/N Yeah, definitely shorter than the other one. Sorry about that, jsut couldn't drag it out enough...**

**Thanks to my deux reviewers, mintparsleyoreganothyme and Anonomon13!**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. N.O.T. M.I.N.E.**

* * *

It was February the 13th, 1987. Helen Rider had been pregnant with a child for months now, and the doctor had told her and her husband, John Rider, to return that day. It was coincidentally Friday the 13th, which the couple had considered an unlucky day, not like they could do anything, though.

John Rider was speeding down the road at three in the morning, thankful that the road was relatively empty. He was _way_ over the speed _limit_, and wasn't going to stop anytime soon. But just as he let that thought swirl its way into his mind, he heard sirens following his lead.

He heard poor Helen moan and groan in pain, and knew he had to hurry up. Speeding ticket or not, he had to get her to the hospital, fast. But, yet again, he was caught by the police.

"Excuse me, you know that you were speeding, right?" a middle-aged policeman with choppy sandy blonde hair, bushy brows, and spring green eyes said, tapping on John's window, demanding that he roll it down.

"Excuse me, you know that my wife needs to go to the hospital _fast_ because she is going to give birth, right?" John shot back, using the man's phrase against him. The policeman's eyes bugged, mouth forming a small 'o'. John let himself bathe in an unneeded smugness for a moment, before his gaze wandered to Helen, who was pale.

"Come on, let's get you to the police car," the policeman said, opening the door for Helen, gesturing for John to carry Helen. Complying, John carried Helen bridal-style, frowning.

"What are you doing? We need to get to the hospital!" he scowled.

"Yes. If you speed with _your _car, you'll be stopped again; but if you're with me in my _police car,_ you won't be stopped," he replied, urging the couple into his car. John made a noise of understanding, Helen curled in his arms. Her dark blond hair was falling in waves around his arms, her chocolate brown eyes staring into John's emerald green orbs trustingly.

The streetlights were on, casting a spotlight on the two, the road empty. The one-storied houses around them were dark, and a soft breeze ruffled John's soft, fair hair. He set her head on his lap when he gently laid her down on the leather seats of the police car. John tucked Helen in his arms, holding her close while the policeman sped down the road, telling him where the hospital which they were headed before was.

* * *

John burst through the hospital doors, entering the white-washed lobby after bidding the kind policeman thanks. He babbled to the bewildered secretary about how his wife is going to give birth sometimes soon, and—

"John, honey! Don't scare her like that!" Helen scolded, even if her face was pained. Then, she turned to the confused secretary, and said gently, "Sweetie, sorry about that. But yes, I think I'm going to give birth soon. Can you…?"

"Yes, yes, of course!" the girl said, catching on. She led the pair to the emergency section, and told them to stay there until the doctor came.

* * *

"A boy or a girl?" Helen asked, excited. It scared the doctor and her husband how quickly she had recovered from labour.

"The baby is a boy, congratulations!" the doctor said, smiling warmly.

"Oh my gosh, John, did you hear that! The baby is a girl! I can't believe it! I can dress her up in a cute, frilly dress, and—"

"Helen, the baby is a _boy_," John sighed. What had gotten his wife so hyper? She hadn't used drugs to give birth to the adorable infant that was currently wrapped up in soft white blankets. The fragile newborn melted John's heart.

"_What? _But then I can't dress him up in a cute, frilly dress," Helen whined. You'd think she was a teenager, not some twenty-something-year-old woman who was married to a spy.

"Helen, you can dress him up in a cute, frilly _suit_," John countered, feeling bad that he had condemned his son to the fate of wearing the insult-to-suits-and-manliness.

"Suits are no fun, though!"


	3. The Mistake Was Mine, For Trusting You

**A/N Thanks so much for your reviews! Three in such a short time!**

**mintparsleyoreganothyme: Your username is as hard to spell as ever! Chilling? _Awesome!_ I want to hit the emotion spot-on... except I didn't know what it was. I got an idea now! (I love it that the word chilling is used to describe the chappie!) Well-written? Thanks, although personally, I didn't think so... I'm glad you like my stories! Thanks so million for your nice, compliment-filled review! It lightens my day!**

**Anonomon13: Jack and Tom... I actually never saw a fic where Jack or Tom betrayed Alex, except for mine, but hey. If Tom betrays Alex, why not make Lexi's life worse and make Jack betray him, too? I wrote the A Boy or A Girl one-shot version already, right after you suggested it. Thanks for ya review!**

**Writers4All: Yeah, I _am_ cruel to Alex most of the time... Thanks! Jack just came into mind and I thought, _Hey, if Tom backstabs Alex, why can't Jack?_ And oops... The LINEY LINEY LINEY LINEY things are just like a rough line break for Word, since it doesn't really have a button that says, _Line Break_. I usually edit it out and make them line breaks, but I must have missed it. Sorry! I changed it into a REAL liney. I actually don't know _why_ Tom backstabbed Alex. It was just a thought. I know why Jack did, though. She couldn't take any more, and decided Scorpia had more opportunities for her. I guess that applies for Tom, too. Thanks for your review!**

**Disclaimer: Really. Not mine.**

* * *

_"It was a mistake," you said. But the cruel thing was, it felt like the mistake was mine, for trusting you."_

_-David Levithan, **The Lover's Dictionary **_**(I put that in cause the title was based on it)**

* * *

It had been a rarely seen calm day for a certain Alex Rider—minus the whispering, gossiping, and the suspicious, dirty looks—when Tom had asked Alex to the movies. It was a normal occurrence, Tom asking Alex to somewhere, so Alex had thought nothing of it. Except, Jack normally said something along the lines of, _No, Alex! It's still dangerous. You have lots of work to catch up on, anyways!_ Alex had told Tom casually that he would ask Jack, which was also a normal occurrence. Tom had deflated slightly, which was, again, what happened when these things popped up.

But the difference this time was that when Alex arrived at his fairly large but cozy home—using a bike he had gotten from Smithers for his belated birthday—and asked Jack about it, Jack had said yes. Alex still recalled the situation with amazement.

* * *

"_Hey, Jack? I'm home!" he called, something like a routine that he and Jack had developed over time._

"_Alex! You're back! What's up?" Jack said happily, scrambling down the stairs, bright hair flying. Yet another part of the routine._

"_Tom asked me if I could go to the movies," he said, a part of the routine that appeared from time to time._

"_Oh, really? That's great! What movie are you guys watching?" Jack squealed, excited. Not a part of the makeshift routine. _

"_We—what? Jack, you're letting me go? Really?"_

"_Yeah, why not? It's just the movies. After so many disappointed looks from Tom, I just can't stand holding you back on an imaginary leash anymore," Jack sighed, sounding like a resigned mother giving up on reining in their troublesome child._

"_Really? No kidding? Are you sure, Jack?"_

"_Yes, Alex! Go have fun for a change."_

"_Hey! I'm offended. But, sure, I'll go tell Tom right now! See you later."_

"_Come home before nine," Jack called, waving goodbye as Alex exited the house he had called home for so long._

* * *

"So, Tom, which movie are we watching?"

"Oh, you know, the one that just came out?"

"There are many movies that come out almost at the same time. Elaborate."

"Oh God. Alex, you don't get me at all! It was supposed to be telepathic!"

"Huh? I beg your pardon?"

Tom snorted at Alex's dumb and polite response. Not like he would do any better. "Telepathic. _Telepathic._ T-e-l-e-p-h-a-t-i-c."

"Are you sure that's how you spell it? It doesn't sound right."

"Of course I am! What do you think I am? A mindless zombie? And idiot?"

"The latter will be fine. Look it up, or something."

"Fine," Tom whined, pulling out his smart phone. He typed in _telephatic_, and Google corrected the spelling to _telepathic._

"Ha! I knew I was right!" Tom cried, drawing the attention of quite a few people on the street. Alex could have sword he heard an elderly couple mutter angrily, _"Kids were more mannered in our time."_

"No, it's just not possible! Let _me_ see!" Alex retorted, reaching for Tom's phone with his—almost non-existent—super-spy speed. Tom let loose a yelp as the phone was snatched from his loose grasp.

"_See? _T-e-l-e-p-a-t-h-i-c. _Telepathic._ I was right, you bloody liar," Alex smirked smugly.

"You killjoy. You party pooper. You spoil sport," Tom grumbled jokingly, leading the pair down a street vaguely in the direction of the nearest cinema.

"Tom, isn't that way faster than this way?" Alex asked curiously, hands gesturing to a wider, more bustling street.

"Yeah, but this one is emptier. Trust me."

"No, but Tom…"

"Come on, Alex, give me a chance. It's better because it's empty, right?"

"Maybe," Alex said uncertainly, but decided to trust his loyal, faithful best friend.

And so, the two best mates made their way down the slightly narrower, definitely emptier street.

* * *

"Tom, I really don't think this is the right place. We're going in the opposite direction of the movie theatre!"

"No, it's right, see? Even my GPS app in my iPhone says so."

"Let me see."

"Here you go."

Alex sighed exasperatedly at the sheer stupidity of his friend. "Tom, the navigation app's destination is _your home._ Of course it doesn't lead to the movie theatre!"

"No, but I set it so—"

"You won't get lost on your way home. You told me days ago," Alex finished.

"No, but still. I _thought_ I said it to the cinema."

"_Thought._ Right, sure. So can you set it to the cinema right now? I'm pretty sure we're lost."

Alex could have sworn that Tom breathed, _"No, we're not. Definitely not lost,"_ under his breath, but let it slide.

"Okie dokie, Lexi-Boy. Wait… How do you set the new destination again?"

"Ugh, Tom. Please remind me—_why, _for God's sake, did you get an iPhone?"

"It looks cool!"

"Dear God…"

"Give me a Xbox for my birthday. And give me the manual for the iPhone that I threw away as soon as I got the phone. And—" Tom _started_ to finish. But of course, Alex cut him off.

"I wasn't reading off a letter, you brainless duck," Alex grinned. "Here, give me the phone. I'll set it up so the destination is the cinema."

"Sure, mate," Tom said, handing over the touch-screened object.

An affirmative _beep_ confirmed that Alex had set it right, and he held it out to Tom so he could lead the way. Tom stared at the device, eyes glued to the bright screen, lighting his electric blue eyes and stunningly black hair.

* * *

"Tom? What are you doing?" asked Alex as Tom led him into a deserted alley. His instincts told him—no, _screamed at him—_to run, but his mind said,_ No, I trust Tom._ The two sides of him were clashing, and it was almost tearing him apart.

Tom brought out his new iPhone. "I'm telling your enemies, Scorpia, where you are right now."

"Tom, why are you doing this?" Alex asked, bewildered and rather taken aback.

"Alex, I thought you would have figured it out by now, but since you didn't…" Tom said with an evil smirk that only graced his features when he had something nasty up his sleeve; whether it be literal or not.

"What are you talking about?" Alex said, unable to rein his surprise and shock in. It was unbelievable.

"Maybe I'm just a good actor. Or maybe you're losing your edge. Maybe you just turned soft. Or maybe, _you trust too easily_!" Tom sneered, volume getting louder and louder. But of course, in the deserted alleyway that they had ended up in, no one would have heard. The nearest civilian would be kilometres away.

"Tom? You were a double agent for _Scorpia?_" Alex demanded, just to double check. Just to make sure that he hadn't misheard. Just to make sure that this wasn't a dream. Just to make sure that it was reality.

"You finally figured it out? But you do know that it was too late now, right?" laughed Tom.

"I _trusted _you! But _this _happens!" Alex cried, his heart breaking. How had he ended up like this? Hadn't the missions he had been on taught him otherwise? Hadn't he learned his lesson yet?

"You're not supposed to trust, Alex."


End file.
